


would you know yet more?

by Onnoff



Series: my self indulgent au of mashed up aus [2]
Category: Magic Kaito
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Crushes, Developing Relationship, Friendship, Gen, M/M, POV Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid, Pre-Relationship, kaito's big fat ugly crush, saguru my son im sorry i was so late for your birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26175388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onnoff/pseuds/Onnoff
Summary: Day 29: Tattoo parlor auHakuba Saguru: Ashley's best friend, former flower shop owner, illustrator, tattoo parlor owner, tattoo artist, and maybe, just maybe, Kaito's new friend?The mystery blond became a little less mysterious to Kaito as he got to know Hakuba Saguru. While doing so, Kaito ended up learning a little more about himself in the process.
Relationships: Hakuba Saguru/Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid, Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid & Original Character(s), Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid & Original Female Character(s)
Series: my self indulgent au of mashed up aus [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1900813
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17
Collections: AUgust 2020





	would you know yet more?

**Author's Note:**

> fic unbeta'd
> 
> THIS IS SO LATE IM SO SORRY AHHHHH  
> ok ok so the plan was like to, like, post the day after part 1, but aha, irl bs amirite?? and then irl bs kept happening, but then, not only that, this fic kept getting longer, so instead of a 1k-2k word fic, y'all r getting this chonk. gafdsgjdshfk I'm sry ;-; I'm mostly disappointed in me coz ;A; my perfect "attendance" 
> 
> but yea  
> ENJOY

Despite the abundance of flowers, Ashley had somehow managed to organize the shop in a way to make it feel almost spacious. Somehow, he never felt cramped when browsing around or just hanging out in her shop. It was probably due to her strategically choosing to put some flowers out in the store, and use illustrations for others.

The illustrations were beautiful. They all were. Probably due to being drawn by the same person. They were simply flowers in the center of white paper, framed by simple white or beige frames. It wasn’t exactly detailed, but you could tell and see the specific characteristics of flowers illustrated. Some in bouquets, some was just one single flower in a frame. In fact, that’s exactly what it looked like. Like someone pressed the impression of these flowers into the paper, so the paper would capture just enough of the essence of it to accurately show the feeling and look of the flowers.

There was a kind of lightness to them. A softness and delicate sort of feel.

When he’d asked her about them, Ashley simply told him that they were drawn by her friend, the original shop owner. That this was how he chose to decorate the store, and she decided to continue decorating it this way. Talking about how useful the illustrations were for flowers that were out of season and better kept in the backroom, while still showing customers that they do have it in stock. That the space it gave the shop made it easier for people to browse, made it easier for people to stay and linger in the shop without feeling crowded.

She said she liked the soft lightness that the illustration gave off, and how it inspired to keep the rest of her shop as light and freeing as the illustrations.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Ashley asked, throwing the question back at him. “The way Saguru arranged the space, how he made use of his artistry with the illustrations.”

“Yeah, it’s not as suffocating to be in here, compared to other shops I’ve been in.” He replied.

Ashley hummed.

“There’s an airy feel to the space, isn’t there?”

Just as she defined the exact quality of the shop that drew Kaito in so many times over the short period that he’d been in the area, the clouds decided to open up and let a beam of light shine through one of the windows of the shop. The shop was always bright during the day time, but right now, it felt as if he was inside a crystal, refracting light this way and that, shining like a beacon.

* * *

Thinking back on this, now that he’d seen Ashley’s tattoo, Kaito wondered if they were all drawn by the same person. The original shop owner, the friend, who did tattoos, “Saguru.”

He wondered if it was the mystery blond.

Sometimes Kaito would like to think that he was old enough to not need the excuse of an attractive man to get him to stop avoiding something he had been for quite some time now, like visiting a tattoo parlor.

However, this was not one of those times. And the chance of the mystery blond being the very tattoo artist working above Ashley’s flower shop was very much one of the main motivators for Kaito’s visit.

After all, he still wanted to know more about the blond.

* * *

It started like this.

He went over to visit Ashley, like he usually does, bringing her orders as he waited for her to finish making his.

He said: I’ve been thinking for a while, and I think I’m gonna take you up on that friend of a friend discount.

She said: Oh! Really? Okay, okay, I’ll let Saguru know- wait, when do you want to...

Kaito happily stored the knowledge that Ashley’s mystery friend, who may or may not be the mystery blond, _was_ her tattoo artist after all. Which meant that he was also the one to create all the illustrations decorating the flower shop. Which also meant that he was originally the owner of the flower shop.

Kaito would wonder why he decided to stop working at the flower shop that he built, from the sound of it, but he had a conversation to continue.

He told Ashley that he was planning to visit sometime in the afternoon, after his shift was over (and yes, he’ll bring some snacks from the restaurants for them). She told him that she’ll tell her friend that he’ll be coming over. He nodded and smiled as he collected the bouquets and left. She smiled and waved as she said, “see you!”

* * *

It started like this.

The same way things in his life seem to start since he’s moved here, with Ashley happily greeting him and guiding him to where he needed to go.

There was a stairway leading upstairs just before the back room, behind and to the opposite wall to the register.

Ashley gestured for him to go up.

She said: Go ahead! I already told him you were coming.

Then she said: Hey! Thanks for coming to help me!

To the entrance of her shop, where an Asian woman was entering.

Kaito had seen her from across the street once or twice and assumed that the woman must’ve been one of Ashley’s friends or coworkers.

He decided to actually head upstairs before he could chicken out of getting a tattoo again, and before Ashley could introduce him to the woman and distract him. Giving him an excuse to avoid the tattoo parlor when he was trying to stop making one.

There was a space at the top of the stairs that lead directly to the only door there. Of course, with nowhere else to go, he opened the door and walked in.

“ _Welcome_.” A warm, deep voice greeted him when he walked through the door.

In Japanese.

Which shouldn’t have surprised him. But after working at a French-style restaurant for over six months, and befriending an English flower shop owner for the same amount of time, Japanese wasn’t really the language he was expecting to be greeted with, in a tattoo parlor that smells of tea leaves.

“ _Ah, hello_ ,” he stuttered out in Japanese as he was abruptly forced to switch languages. His mind whirred around as it tried to settle the switch into place, and he whirled around to face the voice that greeted him.

To see the mystery blond (Saguru?), behind the register, holding what seemed to be a pencil. Kaito looked down slightly so that he didn’t end up staring at the blond the whole time. There was a notebook on the counter, so maybe he really _was_ the guy to do all the illustration and Ashley’s tattoos.

“Oh! It’s you! Ashley’s friend, right?”

The voice jolted Kaito into looking back up at the blond, and the English jolted his confused brain back into the limbo within his brain where all the languages he knew reside.

“Oh, um, yes, _yes. I’m Kuroba Kaito._ ” He introduced himself in stutters, fumbling between two languages. He winced at his own language mix up. Even in his mind, the languages are still mixing. Maybe he should establish that he’d really rather prefer it if they keep to one language. Even if the blond probably understood both.

“ _Hakuba Saguru,_ ” the blond, Hakuba-san, said. Moving from behind the counter with one arm raised and stretched out in his direction. “ _Nice to meet you. Sorry for switching between languages, do you have any preference?_ ”

It wasn’t just languages that Hakuba-san was mixing. Japanese greetings don’t come with a handshake, but Kaito reached out to shake the blond’s hand anyway.

His grip was firm enough to show comfortable confidence, loose enough that Kaito didn’t feel trapped. His hand was warm, big, comfortably enveloping Kaito’s probably sweaty hand.

That was to say, he had _really_ _nice hands_.

He drew his hand back before responding. Mostly because he didn’t trust himself to keep holding Hakuba-san’s hand without forgetting that he was doing that. Which would lead to an uncomfortably awkward hand-holding session rather than a handshake.

“ _Either is fine, but I prefer sticking to one language, so I guess right now I prefer Japanese._ ”

With greetings established, Kaito allowed himself to look around the tattoo parlor.

“ _I don’t know how much Ashley told you, but I’ve been struggling with coming up with what I want to have tattooed on me, and she said you could help with that?_ ” He said to keep the conversation going while he looked.

He didn’t really know what to expect. The counter and register were on the opposite wall to the stairs and entrance. Instead of white or light wood like downstairs, the furniture here seemed to have a preference for dark wood. From shelves to tables to flooring, contrasting the white walls that were partially covered by various illustrations.

Many were of the same styles as the flowers downstairs even if it was depicting different subjects, others were in a different style. Kaito wondered if there was another tattoo artist who worked here. Probably. Even Ashley didn’t work at the flower shop by herself.

Despite the darker furniture, the place wasn’t dark. Probably due to the large wall to wall windows that faced the street below, allowing much of the sunlight shine through. Whatever the sun couldn’t reach was illuminated by the lighting set up, hanging on black bars above or coming from black lamps.

Kaito would say that the place looked almost industrial looking, if it wasn’t for the plants and flowers decorating the place. It was more plants than flowers, but there was enough around to soften the harsh, bare, and exposed look of the place. A couple on the counter, some hanging over on the bar with the lights, some right by the windows.

It reminded Kaito of the one time he caught Hakuba-san in the flower shop. Arms deep in a plant pot, covered in soil, smiling gently.

Hakuba-san hummed, in a similar way that Ashley always does, bringing Kaito’s attention back to him.

“ _Why don’t we have a seat and you can tell me what inspired you to want a tattoo?_ ” He said, walking towards the corner of the room by the windows, where there were two cushioned seats and a low table.

Following the blond, Kaito allowed himself to look more closely at him, now that Hakuba-san was looking in the other direction.

Gone were the coveralls that the blond usually wore. Or well, coveralls that _Kaito_ usually saw him in. Instead, the blond in front of him was dressed in ripped dark jeans, faded band tee, what probably was Doc Marten shoes, and a long tan cardigan. One hand in the pocket of the cardigan while the other, hanging by his side, held on to his pencil and sketchbook.

It was... _**different**_.

With the tan cardigan and sketchbook being the oddest thing out of the whole outfit, and yet... it somehow worked. It suited him.

Just like how the piercings and tattoos suited him.

There were a lot on his ears. Or maybe there wasn’t. Kaito didn’t know what was and wasn’t a lot with people in the punk culture. Assuming that Hakuba-san was part of that. Kaito definitely wasn’t expecting him to have ear gauges thought, not that he assumed a lot about the blond. It wasn’t very big or super obvious, but it was there.

Hakuba-san turned around and sat in one of the chairs. Kaito took the other seat.

The blond also had piercings on his lip and eyebrow.

Distracting.

Like the last time they spoke, he was looking at Kaito with that quiet smile of his.

Somehow the soft, gentle expression on his face didn’t look out of place given the whole look and vibe Hakuba-san has.

Much less distracting.

“ _So,_ ” Hakuba-san began, “ _since you said that you don’t have any designs in mind. Do you have any specific subjects or inspiration that you want to base your tattoo on?_ ”

Kaito felt somewhat lame about the answer he was about to give, but it was the truth.

While he spent that half a second thinking about how to word his answer, the blond turned slightly to the side, towards a black trolley that Kaito didn’t notice before. The top level seemed to have a glass kettle, with a heating pad right under that Hakuba-san switched on.

Bringing his focus back from staring at the blond’s delicate fingers, Kaito formed a coherent answer.

“ _My dad. He passed away when I was pretty young,_ ” he said, figuring that if he started out with the hard facts, maybe things won’t be too awkward. Even if tattoo artists probably had a lot of people coming in to get tattoos memorializing their lost loved ones.

Hakuba-san, who’d turn back to pay attention to him when he started speaking, nodded and hummed.

“ _But he meant a lot to me. He... he’s kind of an inspiration to me I guess. The way he lived his life, made his choices. He’s influenced a lot of aspects of my life._ ”

_So much so that it sometimes felt like a burden..._

Kaito didn’t say that out loud, of course. He was pretty sure that wasn’t something he should be telling Hakuba-san. Not the kind of information people dropped right after meeting someone for the first time.

Hakuba-san hummed once more. Before he turned back to the kettle and turned the hot plate off, bringing the kettle over to the table between them. Taking off the glass lid, and dropping in a ball, oh, a blooming tea ball, before reaching over to grab some glass cups from the trolley.

When the blond looked up at him again, it was with a sheepish smile on his face.

“ _I hope you don’t mind me making us some tea._ ”

Kaito shook his head slightly, because he didn’t mind at all. If anything, the scent of steeping tea was calming his nerves a little. And of course, it was nice to watch the tea ball bloom within its transparent confines.

“ _So, are there any specific aspects of your father that are particularly meaningful to you?_ ” Hakuba-san asked one of the questions he dreaded.

Now, it was Kaito’s turn to hum as he thought over what he could possibly say.

“ _People are multifaceted._ ” Hakuba-san continued, seeing that Kaito was taking his time to think. “ _So, naturally, it would be quite impossible to capture everything about them into a drawing to be tattooed,_ ” the blond chuckled lightly at that before continuing. “ _But everyone leaves a different impression on each of the different people they meet. So, to find your tattoo, we’ll need to find which aspect of your father meant the most to you._ ”

_I don’t know. He’s too big. Bigger than anything._

It didn’t help that every time he would hear stories about his dad from his mom, or Aoko’s dad, or Jii-chan, it would be something grand. Monumental.

It made him wonder, sometimes, if his dad was actually human.

There were no stories of childhood accidents. No stories of teenage mess-ups. No messy stories.

Nothing like the kind of stories his life seemed to generate. Where the only kind of stories he felt was being made about him was about how much of a mess he was. is.

He was getting better. Little by little. He knew he was. But sometimes, when he slipped up and let himself think too deeply about this, the way he has to right now, it seemed like he’ll never be able to escape.

“ _Kuroba-san?_ ”

Hakuba-san’s warm, soothing voice pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts.

He looked up to find the blond looking over at him, a slight wrinkle between his brows, the very face of concern.

He shook his head slightly and reached over to the cup of tea that the blond had poured out. Hakuba-san did the same and reached out for his own cup. Kaito took a sip, breathing in the aromas, before pulling the cup away to sigh a little.

“ _Sorry. It was, uh, I’ve never really thought about it before._ ” He answered.

Hakuba-san watched calmly from the opposite seat, and for some reason, he felt the compulsion to explain himself.

“ _Not that I never thought of what I wanted as a tattoo, to represent my dad, but... I never thought about it in this way before. I guess._ ”

He felt himself fidget with his fingers. Moving as if he was rolling an imaginary coin across his knuckles. A habit he couldn’t get rid of.

“ _I usually just try to think of a design that I think will work, but every time, it always seemed so simple. So basic. Small. Compared to what my dad was._ ”

_Just like how he felt so small when compared to his dad._

He felt like he wasn’t explaining himself very well.

Across him, Hakuba-san hummed. The blond brought up his hand to touch at his chin, one finger moving up to rest right under his lower lip. The thinking pose.

“ _I think I understand your conundrum. A lot of people have this particular problem as well. It’s difficult to condense someone so important and significant to you into something much less dimensional._ ” The blond hummed before reaching for his cup to take a sip of tea again. 

Kaito nodded. That was exactly the thing that he kept getting stuck on.

“ _Yeah, that’s exactly it! I just couldn’t settle on anything specific_ ,” he said.

Hakuba-san looked down at the teacup that he cradled within his hands, bringing it up again for a sip with a faraway look in his eyes. 

He brought his cup up for another sip too, this time actually paying attention to the notes. It was pretty floral, probably chrysanthemum, but that wasn’t the only thing. It was obviously a blend due to it being a blooming tea. Kaito thought he could taste some green tea in there as well. 

He wondered, as he observed the blond, if all of Hakuba-san’s tea were floral and soothing like this one. 

As he kept looking at Hakuba-san, he noticed more of his features. Brown eyes framed within the almond shape. If he wasn’t paying attention, he probably would’ve wondered why a foreigner had such a Japanese name. But it was clear that the blond was probably mixed. Assuming his hair wasn’t dyed. But there were also things like the structure of his cheekbones, and how the light shone through the windows highlighted it perfectly. 

Suddenly, Kaito felt like there were eyes on him. 

Focusing his eyes back on Hakuba-san's eyes, he found that he was correct. 

“ _I know it must be hard to do so,_ ” the blond began saying, “ _but perhaps try to think of three specific things about your father that was important to you. Just three, no more than that. It’s probably hard to do so, but focus on what he meant to_ ** _you_** _specifically. Not what he meant to other people, just you._ ”

Kaito listened. And nodded. And turned to look at the windows. And thought.

“ _I think I’m going to need more time to think about this... Is it alright if I come back on another date?_ ” He asked.

Hakuba-san nodded. 

“ _Of course. Take your time. This_ ** _is_ **_important to you after all._ ” The blond said, before setting his cup down on the table. 

Kaito did the same, getting up from his seat. 

Hakuba-san walked with him to the door. 

And Kaito grabbed the handle to open the door. 

When Hakuba-san spoke up again.

" _Don't let what he meant to other people make you lose sight of what he meant to you._ "

The blond spoke in that warm, soothing voice that seemed to settle something within Kaito. 

He turned back to look at Hakuba-san and nodded, giving him a brief smile, before turning towards the stairs and taking his leave.

* * *

She said: So? How was it? Finally, got the design you want for your tattoo?

He thought back on his time in the tattoo parlor upstairs, his interaction with Hakuba-san, experience with the whole entire thing.

He said: Not really... But Hakuba-san gave me something to think about, and he’s going to be doing some sketches and showing me later, in case any of them end up inspiring me, I guess.

He continued thinking of his time in the parlor as Ashley hummed in response, remembering the atmosphere of it, the mood that it set.

Darker in the way that it was more wood than flowers, warmer in a cozy way as opposed to the exposed brightness of the shop below, but still, the same certain kind of lightness remained the same in both shops.

It really didn’t feel like he was in a different shop.

Guess the fact that Hakuba-san owned (or well, used to own) both was quite obvious, especially since Kaito knew.

* * *

Out of curiosity, just curiosity, he asked Ashley how she and Hakuba-san met.

This led to him almost being late for his shift as Ashley regaled to him of their first meeting and their subsequent meetings, which turned into a bunch of stories of childhood mischiefs and adventures. Each story reminded her of another, and if it wasn’t for his fidgeting habit, he wouldn’t have caught a glimpse of his watch telling him that he had just 5 minutes to get everything in the restaurant in order and ready for opening.

He left with a lot more information on Hakuba-san and a greater insight into who he was.

A part of him couldn’t help but wonder how the curious and sneakily mischievous child turned into the still and soothing person he met.

* * *

After some confirmations with Ashley, Kaito learnt that his guess was correct. The particular friend who’s birthday was upcoming really was Hakuba-san.

He didn’t need to ask her which of the things he’d given in the past was Hakuba-san’s favorite. Ashley had already compiled a detailed list with very detailed ranking and comments reviewing which of the pastries and desserts her friend liked best. It was even color-coded _and_ annotated with specific doodles that represent different things.

It was obvious that she cared very much about her best friend. Kaito couldn’t help but find that endearing. It reminded him of Aoko. And also of himself. Of how they cared for each other. And of how much they care about each other.

All that was to say was, Kaito got to find out exactly which of the things he’s been making was Hakuba-san’s favorites.

(They did say that a way to a man’s heart was his stomach... right?)

Madeleines, lemon cakes, apricot glazed madeleines, strawberry cheesecakes, lemon glazed madeleines, lemon tarts... Kaito was noticing a trend.

So he prepared several boxes worth of the treats and headed over to the flower shop in the afternoon, after his shift was over.

There was a gaggle of people in the flower shop when he arrived. Some of whom he’d seen before from the restaurant. Like the Asian woman that arrived at the shop on the day he went to the tattoo parlor for the first time. And the dark-skinned man he’d sometimes seen helping Hakuba-san out with the delivery. Leaving two people he’d never seen before, two Asian men. All of them seemed around his age. Ashley, noticing his arrival, moved around the group to greet him and introduce him to them.

As expected, they were friends of Ashley and Hakuba-san. All of them having grown up or met each other in England at some point and had god their separate ways before finding themselves in Japan.

Being the coordinator that she was, Ashley made the group help him with the boxes that he’d been carrying and told them all that she’d made Hakuba-san leave to get her something from the shops. Which meant they had just enough time to go up and arrange all the food out on the table properly, while Ashley brewed the tea, before Hakuba-san came back.

It was a close call.

He was still arranging the lemon tart when they heard steps coming up the stairs. Which led the group to form a wall between him and the entrance, blocking Hakuba-san’s view from the feast arranged out on the table. They further distracted him by singing Happy Birthday, before parting to let the blond through, as per Ashley’s signal.

“You made these? All of them?” Hakuba-san looked at him in surprise. There was a slight hint of pink across the bridge of his nose and Kaito was going to remember this forever. He wasn’t sure what reason the blond had to be flustered, but he was grateful that he got to see that expression on his face.

Hakuba-san’s existence continued to be a contradiction. He was soft, gentle in almost every way except how he dressed. His passion was in flowers and tattoos. Again, a contrasting image that Kaito never thought would make sense together until he met and saw and got to know the blond.

The way the blond looked at the feast of tea time treats laid out in front of him on the table like a child receiving a shiny new toy was certainly in contrast to the calm soothing aura he normally exuded.

The blond looked around, as if asking for permission, while his friends all egged him on to pick something and start eating. To start the celebration off for the rest of them, as the birthday boy. To which, Hakuba-san started off by picking up one of the mini strawberry cheesecakes and began eating.

Not something Kaito expected.

At this point, he was beginning to wonder if the blond was going to find ways to keep surprising him for the rest of however long he gets to be around him.

He noticed Hakuba-san licking at the corner of his lips, to catch the cream that got stuck there. He noticed the barbell piercing on his tongue as the blond continued to eat and savour each bite with childish enthusiasm (if the child was a particularly polite and well-mannered one, which he could also imagine the blond being.) He noticed the heat rising in his face as he stared for too long and looked away.

Hakuba-san really was a contradictory person.

* * *

“ _It doesn’t have to be something for your father, you know?_ ” Hakuba-san said.

He never considered that before.

It was their second consultation, and while Kaito did what he asked. Condensed his dad down to a list of three things. Somehow, it still didn’t feel quite right. It didn’t feel like it was enough.

Kaito watched the blond lean back, slouching slightly in his seat. Once again, Hakuba-san was in the thinking pose.

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat as well. Thinking about what Hakuba-san said as the sound of the tattoo machine filled the silence. He hadn’t really thought about getting a tattoo that wasn’t something that represented his dad before. Maybe for the next tattoo, but not for the first one.

He felt like it was only right...

“ _Why not get something for yourself instead?_ ”

Kaito looked up at the sound of Hakuba-san’s voice.

The blond had his elbows on his legs, leaning his body forward in Kaito’s direction.

“ _You are your own person._ ” Hakuba-san continued. “ _Sometimes legacies and memories can be a good thing... but other times, they might just be a burden, holding you back_.”

Kaito stared at the blond.

“ _But, uh, that’s just a suggestion. You don’t have to do anything I said._ ” Hakuba-san quickly said, bringing his hand up to rub at the back at his neck.

“ _No. you’re right,_ ” he said.

Kaito wondered if he was obvious. If Hakuba-san could somehow see the weight of his dad’s legacies on his shoulders. Did it show? Was it visible in how he carried himself? Or was it just from how he struggled to simplify his dad’s greatness.

He’d never had the chance to allow himself to think of how much this all weighs on him.

How, sometimes, the memories and stories all felt more like shackles rather than steps to lift him higher.

He’d never had someone validate these thoughts before.

“ _For example, Ashley’s flower tattoos didn’t exactly have a particularly deep or meaningful reason behind them, you know?_ ” Hakuba-san said, filling the silence in the wake of Kaito’s short response. “ _They were just flowers that we often saw in the fields that were close to our houses back in England, when we were children._ ”

 _But that **is** a meaningful reason_. Kaito thought to himself. Maybe Hakuba-san didn’t see the sentimentality behind the tattoo itself, but it certainly was there. Unless... maybe he did see it.

Maybe he was just... trying to contextualize the sentimentality and nostalgia into something simpler, more tangible. Something Kaito would grasp and form in his mind, to come up with his own tattoo idea, one that would fit how much his dad meant to him. But not in the way that people around him often talk about.

His dad meant a lot to him, yes. And Kaito missed him everyday, even now, after all these years. He was grateful for the things his dad had taught him, the things he had given Kaito. But he’d also given Kaito a lot of expectations. Expectations for the people who liked his dad to treat him well. Expectations from those people for him to be like his dad.

It was a lot.

And sometimes it was too much.

But Kaito wouldn’t have it any other way. If this was all he was going to get from his dad, from the memories and legacies, then he embraced it. All the good and bad.

He just wanted to be able to express that some of it _were_ bad.

With that, something sparked in his mind.

He looked up at Hakuba-san. The blond had been patiently waiting for him, it seemed. Waiting for him to collect his thoughts, his feelings, everything. All with that same quiet smile that he’d given Kaito when he first spoke to the blond.

“ _Hakuba-san, I think I have an idea._ ”

* * *

The final design was more simple than he ever expected it to be. But it was exactly what he needed right now. And thanks to Hakuba-san, he was able to refine it to something that was just right, even if it wasn’t a style that was signature to the blond.

Lines, for all the paths he’s taken in his life and those he’s yet to take.

Diamond, for himself. Something his parents called him, something precious. Something he thought of himself, something hardened and shaped and formed by the trials and tribulations he’d gone through in his life.

And the three triangles leading up to the diamonds, overlapping each other.

A triangle to represent Aoko, Akako, and Keiko. Who’d been there through all the crazy things he’d thrown and them. Who all stood by him as he morphed and shapeshifted until he could finally figure out what exactly he wanted to be.

A triangle to represent his mom, Aoko’s dad, and Jii-chan. Who’d been there for his vulnerable moments as much as he had been for theirs. Who supported him and reminded him of who he was and who he was becoming in moments when he’s felt so lost.

A small black triangle to represent his dad. Who hadn’t been there through it all, but was still one of the most impactful people in his life, whether that was for his benefit or for his detriment. A legacy he could never escape. A memory that will haunt him forever till the very end. Something that burdened him with every breath he takes and every move he makes. Something to inspire him as he lives his life to the very fullest, never holding back.

* * *

In the end, it started like this.

The familiar scent of tea leaves calmed him.

The needle hurt as much as to be expected. Hakuba-san’s hands were gentle as he held Kaito’s arm. Pulling the skin taut when needed, and wiping away excess ink before he continued to mark Kaito.

He wasn’t sure what it was that was causing Kaito to feel tingles down his spine. The needles. Hakuba-san’s gentle featherlight touches. Or the idea that it was the blond who was creating a permanent mark on Kaito’s skin. Visible for anyone and everyone to see.

He took a deep breath and tried to focus on not embarrassing himself for the duration of his tattooing session. Turning to look at Hakuba-san, Kaito got to witness another side of the blond. One that was concentrated, with a laser-sharp focus. He felt another tingle down his spine and looked away from the blond.

Whatever it was that was causing this feeling, Kaito was sure he’ll have time to figure it out.

**Author's Note:**

> THE OTHER PART OF THE HAKUBA B-DAY FIC AHA  
> once again, late, because I am human and gave into my need to sleep ;-;
> 
> also pls don't think too hard about the floorplan of both of these places, because I did and I regretted it because of how little sense it made.


End file.
